This invention relates generally to cases used for marketing, advertising, and promotional events, particularly including a travel case for housing flat panel displays.
Many individuals and companies attend trade shows to introduce new goods, advertise services, or generally offer information to attendees. Similarly, organizations often present information to large audiences at other events such as fairs, open houses, and seminars. The information presented at such events increasingly makes use of multimedia, including audio and video.
Recent advances in flat panel video displays makes such displays a popular choice for the presentation of video information. The video quality of newer flat panel displays is improving such that it rivals the quality of cathode ray tube (CRT) displays. In addition, flat panel displays are typically lighter and are smaller, making them more portable.
Though flat panel displays are more portable than CRTs, they do not sit well on a surface by themselves as with CRTs. Rather, they must be mounted to a wall or attached to a stand before they can be used. Thus, in order to support the display at a remote location, a stand or other mounting equipment must be shipped with the display to the remote location. While this arrangement can produce an acceptable result, it is awkward and cumbersome to package the display and stand or other mount for safe shipment. In addition, it may require a substantial amount of time and effort to assemble the display and stand at the event location, then disassemble and package it for shipping when the event is finished.
Accordingly, there is a need for an integrated display case and mounting system that overcomes some of the above problems.
The present invention comprises a mobile display system for presenting multi-media content to viewers at tradeshows, fairs, open houses, and other events. The multi-media content can include training, entertainment, advertisements, promotional, or any other information.
In accordance with further aspects of the invention, the system includes a case having an internal lift assembly. A display is mounted to the lift assembly so that the display can be extended out of the case for viewing or retracted within the case for storage or shipment. The display is preferably a flat panel video display, but can alternatively be a white board, bulletin board, projector screen, or any other visual interface device.
In accordance with other aspects of the invention, the lift assembly is a scissor lift assembly attached to an interior surface of the case.
In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, a push button mechanism activates the lift to raise it to desired heights and to collapse the scissor lift assembly for storage within the case.
In accordance with yet other aspects of the invention, the case for storing and shipping the display also serves as a mobile display stand to support the display. In some embodiments, the case includes a wheel mounted to each of the four corners located at the bottom of the case.
In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, some embodiments of the mobile display system include storage space for a variety of multimedia components, including computers, DVD players, sound systems, speakers, video cameras, or other equipment. In addition, it includes space for computers capable of accessing a server on a network to retrieve multi-media content, using either wireless or wired communication channels.
In accordance with still further aspects of the invention, the multi-media content presented may be audio, digital images, text, video or animation.
In accordance with yet another aspect of the invention, the display is a visual display device. Alternatively, the lift assembly can support any other equipment such as speakers, computers, projectors, or other electronic equipment.
As described in greater detail below, the invention provides a mobile display case to allow convenient storage and shipment of a display or other device.